China slams HRW’s report on alleged Xinjiang human rights violations

By Li Ruohan Source:Global Times Published: 2017/12/13 22:58:39

China on Wednesday slammed a report that accused the country of violating human rights by collecting DNA samples in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, saying there's no need to spend time on such false statements.

According to a Wednesday report from the New York-based Human Rights Watch, authorities in Xinjiang are collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans and blood types of all residents in the region between the age of 12 and 65, quoting experts as saying it's "a gross violation of international human rights norms."

Collecting such information has been partly advocated in Xinjiang, such as the cities of Yining and Korla, since the second half of the year, for accurate demographic and diverse biological information in the regions, government documents show. For instance, in Korla, photos and finger prints are collected and will be included in the new version of ID cards, while DNA, iris and blood type information will be entered in a local biological database, government documents show.

In Yining, such information would be collected for a demographic database to help accurately identify people and for information-sharing among government departments.

China's government has the right to take measures it deems as proper to protect national security, and the collection of such information is not harmful to the residents, nor does it affect people's rights, Turgunjan Tursun, a professor at Zhejiang Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Such measures, as well as the collecting of fingerprints in other cities in China, help secure public security, and claims of human rights violations are groundless, he added.

The organization has always made false statements on issues involving China and I suggested there's no need to spend time on such remarks, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Wednesday.

"Xinjiang has witnessed economic development and social stability, and the people there are living and working in a joyful mood, a scene that some people overseas might be unwilling to see," Lu said.

China's government will continue to protect the national unity and the prosperity in the region and promote the development of the region, he added.